At birth my daughter had what looked like a small bruise under her right upper arm. During her 2 week follow up appointment with the pediatrician the bruise had grown to a red birthmark that covered her right armpit, under her right arm and on her chest towards her right nipple. When I asked her doctor what it was she said that it was a birthmark and that if it bothered her when she was older, it could be lasered off. I didn't think much of it at the time and so didn't ask what type of birthmark it was. It has now been two and a half weeks since then and it has grown a small amount but looks about the same. It is red, and slightly raised and quite large. I don't think that it is a port wine stain because it wasn't there at birth. I don't think it is a salmon patch because it is slightly raised and is on her arm/chest and most of those don't present in those places. So I am left wondering if it is a hemangioma. If it is, it is rather large and I am worried about it growing anymore. It isn't raised as much as most hemangioma's seem to be but maybe it hasn't grown as much as it will. She is only 1 month and I know that they typically don't stop growing until 6 months to a year. I would like to add a picture but had trouble loading it onto the forum. Perhaps I could email it to the moderator and they could help post it. I plan on asking my pediatrician about it again when I see her in a week and a half. I also plan on getting a referral to a pediatric dermatologist. Thanks for your help and input.

I do think this is a hemangioma, but keep in mind that I'm the web designer. My opinion means ... well, just that it's my opinion. You should see a specialist as soon as you can.

Where are you located? There might be a good specialist near you and you can go ahead and get in to see one.

Is she four weeks now? Did I add correctly? And was she born on time or early (that does make a difference .. I think they call it gestational age. Sometimes birthmarks won't be there right AT birth, because they were born a bit early, then the birthmarks show up a couple of weeks later. Near the due date. I've heard that over and over around here.)?

Thanks for your input. This picture was taken when she was exactly 1 month old and she was born a couple of days past her due date so she was definitely term when she was born and the birthmark was not there except for a very faint bruise under her arm. I believe there are specialists in my area and I am a actually going to try to see my pediatrician ASAP so that I can get a referral ASAP. I am worried about it due to the size, it just covers such a large area. I am worried that it may still grow over more area and that it will raise to where she cant bring her arm down over it completely. How high do they typically raise up? It is an odd looking hemangioma if it is one because it is splotchy. The other thing that worries me is that due to it being so large and covering so much area, might she be a candidate for a PHACE diagnosis? What is your opinion? Thanks once again for the input.

Hi there! I just wanted to add that it looks pretty similar to my daughter's hand/wrist hemangioma in terms of the "splotchy-ness" but as my daughter got older it filled in and got more raised. It probably was at its darkest/most raised at about 6-7 months then got splotchy again when it involuted. I think you have the right idea to go see a specialist to see what they think. That way they can keep their eyes out for ulcerations, etc. and let you know what your options are in terms of treatment. I am not a PHACES expert, but I think the hemangioma is usually on the head or neck area. I could be wrong but that is my understanding. You could certainly ask about it, but I would try not to worry about that at this point. It's so hard at the stage you're at because there are so many unanswered questions: how big will it grow? will she need treatment? what kind? how long will it take to go away? will she have any complications? You are doing the best thing by going to a specialist and researching as much as you can. Soon some of your questions will be answered in time and hopefully you will start to feel better. At least that's how I felt when I went through it 2 times!! Keep us posted!
Shannon

Thanks for replying Shannon. Do you mind sharing photos of your daughters hand hemangioma? Perhaps a photo of when it was at its worse and then of how it looked once it was gone or involuted? Only if you are comfortable with that, of course. Thank you for your input. I am planning on trying to see her pediatrician this week. I am definitely worried right now because as you said there are many unanswered questions. I have also read that when a hemangioma is so large there can be some attached internally to organs or tissues? It is the fact that it covers so much area that concerns me the most. I definitely need to see a specialist soon to put my mind at ease as I am a bit of a nervous wreck right now. I will keep in touch regarding the outcome.

Hers is smaller than your daughter's. It was only on her hand and wrist. It started to show up when she was about a week old and grew pretty quickly from then on. It went away on its own, amazingly, with no treatment at all. I was worried about it for sure, but I also was sooooo busy because she is a twin and I had 2 older daughters age 3 and 5 at the time so I had less time to stay focused on it. I was just trying to get through each day!!

One of my older daughters also has a hemangioma on her lip. She needed treatment for hers though which you can see in this album. Since it was on her lip, it was a much different situation than my other daughter. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...0902383&type=3

Hope these pictures help! I was a nervous wreck too because my mind went straight to the worst case scenarios. Fortunately, after having been through it twice, I have seen how they eventually do go away....sometimes with help and sometimes on their own. You will get there too! The first step is getting to the specialist and investigating your concerns about the size of it, etc. Where do you live? Do you have a good specialist locally? I would recommend that you take photos of your daughter's hemangioma on a regular basis. I think it really helped me to see the progression and this was helpful for doctor visits and just for my own knowledge. Sometimes it's hard to notice because you are with her every day.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the pictures. I need to post a recent picture of Rachael's hand. It is pretty much totally gone...I can just see the "shadow" of it because I know it's there. She is 4 1/2. (By the way, her twin has a small one on her arm too that is still fading!) We have the 3 out of 4 hemangioma special apparently!!

Mission Statement:
An international charitable organization that networks families affected by a vascular birthmark, tumor, or syndrome to the appropriate
medical professionals for evaluation and/or treatment, provides informational resources as well as sponsors physician education, mobilizes medical missions trips, and
supports research and programs that promote acceptance for individuals with birthmarks.

DISCLAIMER
Information accessed through the VBF is presented in summary form
in order to impart general information relating to the diagnosis
and treatment of vascular birthmarks. Such information is not complete
and should not be used as a substitute for a consultation or visit
with your physician or other health care provider. Information accessed
through VBF website is not exhaustive and does not cover every aspect
of vascular birthmarks. VBF makes no warranty as to the information's
completeness, reliability or accuracy. Should you have any health
care related questions regarding this matter, please see your physician
or other health care provider promptly.

Information accessed through the VBF website is provided "AS
IS" and without warranty, express or implied. All implied warranties
of merchantability and fitness for a particular use or purpose are
hereby excluded. VBF shall not be liable under any theory or indemnity.
In no event shall VBF be liable for any damages, direct or indirect,
and all other damages, direct or indirect, special, incidental,
consequential or punitive, are hereby excluded even if VBF has been
advised of the possibility of such damages.